We were saddened to hear of the death of Jack Manning who passed away on Sunday, November 10th (feast of St. Leo the Great) after a short battle with cancer. Jack was a long time, active parishioner who volunteered his time for our parish and for the larger community through Meals on Wheels. He served in the army during the Korean conflict and became a Master Carpenter. He was proud to be an Eagle Scout and his sons & grandsons continued in that tradition. His obituary also mentioned how Jack enjoyed time with family and traveling, especially bus trips and a trip to Ireland. Jack was from Canton and so was buried at St. Joseph Catholic Church there on November 14th. Please remember him in prayer.
We also express our sympathy to Victoria Karbowski on the death of her mother Irene. Irene was 90 years old and was the beloved wife of the late Stanley Karbowski. Irene’s funeral Mass was celebrated on Friday, November 15th. Along with all our departed parishioners who died this past year and those whose names are written in the memory book by the baptismal font, she will be prayed for throughout this month of November as we dedicate this month to all the Faithful Departed. Through the mercy of God, may they all rest in peace.
You will notice that there is a “reliquary” at each of the new shrines in the back of the church. The gold reliquary by the statue of St. Leo the Great holds a very tiny piece of his bone and the reliquary by St. Vincent de Paul holds a cloth which contains a small drop of his blood. The veneration or honoring of sacred relics is as old as the Church itself. When a saint was martyred, their remains were often recovered by the faithful and taken to be buried in a safe place where they could be honored. During the years of persecution church members buried the remains of the martyrs in the catacombs of ancient Rome and gathered there secretly to celebrate Mass on the tombs of the saints. (In fact, I celebrated Mass in the catacombs with my parents when we were in Rome together.) From that practice grew the custom in the Catholic Church of placing a small relic in the altar of each church. Our altar has a stone (right at the spot where the priest kisses the altar at the beginning & end of Mass) & so it has relics embedded in the altar (though it is unknown whose relics are there). During the Middle Ages religious often traveled the countryside with relics of the saints and told stories about their heroic lives. Major relics were usually held in churches in larger cities throughout Europe and it was often difficult or impossible for the common person to travel and view these precious items. These traveling priests and monks brought the relics to the people. We are blessed to have these relics of the saints whom we honor in our parish.
Please join us for the Thanksgiving Mass which will begin at 9am. Enjoy the holiday as we give thanks to God for his many blessings on each of us and on our parish.